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Home / Washington Business - November/December 2003 / Insider Perspective: Kristen Sawin |
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Insider Perspective: Kristen Sawin |
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Written On: November/December 2003 |
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Written By: by Paul Schlienz |
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Kristen Sawin is a rarity. “I am one of the very unusual people who actually set out to become a lobbyist,” recalls Sawin.
While attending high school in Montana, Sawin’s government teacher was the state Speaker of the House. Her teacher’s frequent political discussions fascinated Sawin.
“He piqued my interest,” says Sawin of her teacher.
Following high school years filled with debate and model United Nations, Sawin entered Pacific Lutheran University (PLU). Her first major was political science.
“I was meeting with my adviser,” Sawin remembers. “He asked me if I knew what I wanted to do with my life. I told him I wanted to be a lobbyist, and he told me I had chosen the wrong major. He said what I really wanted to do was to major in communications with an emphasis on public relations because lobbyists needed to communicate a message. So I ended up with a communications major and a political science minor.”
Sawin was a legislative intern with the Washington Public Utility Districts Association during her senior year. Her focus was energy and water policy.
After graduating from PLU, Sawin was hired by the Rural Electric Cooperatives as a contract lobbyist. For the next seven years she worked for a variety of clients primarily on natural resource and energy issues. Her lobbying also encompassed health care and insurance.
While working on water issues, Sawin got to know AWB’s former Vice President of Governmental Affairs Glen Hudson. At his urging, Sawin joined AWB in August 2000.
Since then Sawin has been AWB’s resident expert on energy policy, aquatic land management, water resources, shoreline policy and affordable housing. She has also lobbied on tort reform and legal issues.
Sawin’s expertise, the result of years of lobbying in Olympia, have made her a formidable advocate for business-friendly policies. She is a great asset to AWB.
Shoreline Policy
Sawin’s talents have been on display during 2003. Her successful push to pass a shoreline management reform package through this year’s legislative session was a major achievement.
In 2000, when Sawin joined AWB, the Department of Ecology (DOE) adopted restrictive shoreline guidelines. AWB successfully challenged the rules in court, but elected to pursue an out-of-court compromise with the environmental community as an alternative to years of litigation. It took 15 months to negotiate a new set of guidelines.
AWB’s goals were to:
• Develop guidelines that allow reasonable and appropriate economic activity in shoreline jurisdictions.
• Make sure shoreline regulations were clear enough that businesses and developers could understand their rights and responsibilities.
The final compromise was embraced by both environmental and business interests. With bipartisan support, SB 6012, which included the shorelines compromise, was passed by the 2003 Legislature and signed into law by Gov. Locke.
“I’m very happy with the results,” reflects Sawin. “Economy and environment can co-exist now in Washington’s shoreline rules.”
Affordable Housing
While housing costs climb in Washington, AWB is supporting policies that encourage affordable housing. AWB’s priorities include:
• Ensuring a buildable land supply
• Ensuring access to water supplies for development
• Opposing exorbitant impact fees
• Removing obstacles to infill development
“We’re making progress,” says Sawin. “We’re working with the Washington Association of Realtors to ensure that there’s enough available land for development.
“We passed HB 1707, which will help build more infill development. It allows SEPA [State Environmental Protection Act] review in advance of development. This should make things a little easier on developers.”
Water Resources
Water is one of Washington’s most complex issues because there are so many competing uses for this resource. Confusing case law and questionable DOE decisions complicate matters.
“Most Washington businesses are supplied with municipal water,” says Sawin. “Municipal water suppliers need to be able to grow and manage their resources. Unfortunately, DOE has a history of not allowing them to do that.”
Private water right holders face their own set of problems, including:
• Very little new water available for growth.
• Relinquishment policies that remove water rights from property owners who are not putting their allocation to use within five years.
In 2003, municipal water rights were finally given more certainty with the passage of HB 1338. While HB 1338’s success was a great victory for AWB and a personal triumph for Sawin, bigger battles remain to be fought in Washington’s water wars.
“The biggest issue has always been relinquishment,” observes Sawin. “The Governor has committed that water relinquishment will finally be addressed next year. We’re very hopeful.
“Water will always be an issue for Washington. We’re still talking about the same issues we were discussing when I started lobbying.”
For questions related to affordable housing, aquatic land management, energy, and water resources, contact AWB’s Kristen Sawin at (360) 943-1600 or KristenS@awb.org.
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